The Chicago Bulls finally got a chance to catch their breath.
But it didn’t help.
The Bulls, who played four sets of back-to-back games in their first 12 games, got their first three-day break of the season after a 115-111 home loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 9.
But instead of looking refreshed, they looked rusty in a 126-103 home loss against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, the team’s fourth defeat in five games.
Chicago hopes the ensuing two days off after that game are more beneficial as it visits New Orleans for a rematch Wednesday night.
Chicago committed six turnovers and trailed by as many as 15 points in the first quarter. Leading scorer DeMar DeRozan didn’t even attempt a shot until midway through the second quarter.
The Bulls never led in the game, allowed 60.0 percent shooting (including 13 of 27 on 3-pointers) and turned the ball over 18 times.
The Bulls came up short but were much more competitive in the first game against the Pelicans, which featured 14 lead changes and nine ties.
Brandon Ingram scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half and New Orleans won despite shooting just 3 of 19 on 3-pointers.
The Pelicans shot 3-pointers much better in a 113-102 home victory against Memphis on Tuesday night.
They made a season-high 18 3-pointers on 38 attempts and had six scorers in double figures even though leading scorer Zion Williamson was sidelined by a bruised foot that has him day-to-day.
CJ McCollum broke out of a shooting slump to score a team-high 30 points, making 11 of 23 field-goal attempts, including 7 of 13 from beyond the 3-point line. He also had a game-high nine assists.
